Andre Russell set to face anti-doping hearing next week

West Indies all-rounder Andre Russell is set to face an independent anti-doping disciplinary panel on July 20 in Jamaica for a preliminary hearing over alleged whereabouts-clause violations, his lawyer Patrick Foster has said.

“The matter is set for hearing next week Wednesday at 10am,” Foster told Reuters. “The hearing will deal with preliminary matters, but evidence will begin on another date.”

Earlier in March this year, the Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission (JADCO) reported that Russell had missed three dope tests in a 12-month period. Athletes are required to make their whereabouts known to local anti-doping agencies to facilitate testing under the WADA code. If found guilty of repeatedly missing them, they will face a ban of up to two years.

A statement on the WADA website reads, “Any combination of three missed tests and/or failures to provide accurate whereabouts information within an 18-month period now leads to the opening of a disciplinary proceeding by the (national anti-doping organisation) with jurisdiction over the athlete. Sanctions range between one and two years depending on the circumstances of the case.”

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“We received notification of Russell’s violation about two weeks ago and I’ve appointed a panel to hear his case,” JADCO independent disciplinary panel chairman Kent Pantry had told Reuters around March 2.

Russell has been a key player for whichever team he had played for. He played a crucial role in West Indies winning the 2016 World T20 title in India, was instrumental in Islamabad United’s success in the inaugural edition of Pakistan Super League (PSL) in February, played a key part for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in Indian Premier League (IPL) and is currently playing for Caribbean Premier League (CPL) franchise Jamaica Tallawahs.

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He also played a crucial role in Thunder’s win in BBL and will be monitoring the situation further, for which they said, “There is a clear process to go through and we will not be commenting until it is completed.” The WICB ix also monitoring the situation and mentioned, “There is a process regarding the findings by JADCO. All that will be observed and you will be advised accordingly.”